These are the 25 best TV shows of 2018 – TV Guide

Last year, on television, he was a wild guy, people. Research experts estimate that more than 5 billion television programs were broadcast in 2018, and we watched all of them. It made us think: what happens if we put together a list of all best shows of the year? We could be on something here; good luck finding a list like this in any other place online.

Some people complain about the TV assault we are receiving, but not us. Eight of our top 10 choices were new or in their second season in 2018. And of course we are interested in all the streaming; 11 of our first 25 choices were Netflix series.

25. Succession (HBO)

Where to stream: HBO Go, HBO Now, Hulu

Eighty percent of all entertainment is done by and on rich charlatans, and almost none of them has the right level of disdain for their characters. Not Succession. SuccessionThe rich nosy men will make you want to go door to door for Bernie Sanders in 2020. The creator Jesse Armstrong and the sour satire of executive producer Adam McKay of a media family without a soul Murdoch is a show on the %, done for 99 percent. It's a black comedy like a slutty plague in a prestigious drama, and it's the funniest you've ever seen a show where you hate every single character. –Liam Mathews

24. Bodyguard (Netflix)

Where to stream: Netflix

We had heard the confusion of a new thriller with Robb Stark (Richard Madden) who was breaking the ratings records in the UK, but it was not until Bodyguard he made his first in USA on Netflix that we understood why: it is irresistible! Madden plays a war veterinarian charged with protecting a female politician whose extreme political views are not in tune with her and the tortuous ones Bodyguard makes everyone suspicious in the attempts of his life. But it is the style of the terrorist drama that pushes him into an unmissable territory; it thickens the tension until you think you're going to explode (the opening scene is a cardiac exercise), it uses disturbing zooms, so guess what you think you know, and it makes the British pronunciation of "lady" echo in your head. And in just six episodes, it's a lightning binge. –Tim Surette

The future is …claws: The Cast speaks breaking the barriers and representing women to the fullest

After a breakneck of the first season that produced an electrifying story supported by a cast of stout characters, claws The series follows a group of manicurists who have become embroiled in organized crime, and the introduction of the Russian mobster Zlata (Franka Potente) has injected new life into the series this season, giving our heroes a formidable enemy. The series also experimented with the format in a way that was never possible in the first season, serving unusual episodes – one entirely realized from the perspective of Quiet Ann (Judy Reyes) – that allowed us to get to know these electrifying characters on a higher level. deep. claws It was a wild show from the beginning, but this season has consolidated its status as one of the most intelligent and interesting TV. – Keisha Hatchett

22. Power (Starz)

Where to stream: Starz, Amazon Prime with the addition of Starz, Hulu

For a show full of explosions! twists! and oh sh–! moments, Power began to slow down in season 5. The fans seemed tired and even confused as they passed through the first episodes of the season, which began with James St. Patrick (Omari Hardwick) and Tasha (Naturi Naughton) looking to avenge the murder of their daughter, Raina (Donshea Hopkins), and had all the main characters forming strange covenants. But as he went on, Power he proved that he was laying a pipe for an explosion, a gripping end-of-season trap that killed at least one main character and probably another. When the smoke has cleared, Power he had once again shown how excellent it was to create an intricate network of deceptions, lies and murders – and because it is one of the most intelligent criminal dramas in the history of the genre. – Malcolm Venable

21. atypical (Netflix)

Where to stream: Netflix

Of course the most amazing TV show for families is on our list! atypical built on his first moving season and pushed his characters to new depths in Season 2, as he brought more laughter, higher stakes and another scene of Brigitte Lundy-Paine theft. Netflix's underrated comedy does not fix the dysfunctions of this family as sitcoms are often guilty of doing, but it also shows that they come together at the end, because that's what families do. It's an emotional roller coaster, but the ups and downs and the inevitable increases make it even more rewarding. Also, there are many penguins, and this is really nice. –Megan Vick

20. Lodge 49 (AMC)

Lodge 49 escapes the description, but I will do it anyway. Uhhh, it's a comedy together and a mystic drama that was almost certainly designed in a sweat hut during a peyote binge. Wyatt Russell plays a man looking for something else from life, and finds him in one of those mysterious fraternal houses that is really just a jumble of other lost souls who gather around drinking beer. But there is a subterranean stream of prophecy that electrifies the spectacle with a deeper meaning, giving it a curious importance that other shows do not have. It is unusual, of course, but the path to enlightenment is paved with strange experiences. This is what makes it special. –Tim Surette

Netflix was a fool to erase this growth story set in the years & # 90; after a wonderful season, and yes, we're still pissed off about it. Most TV shows in high schools are obsessed with pomp and looks (you've seen the Riverdale cast?), but Everything sucks! it was more authentic, taking on real teenagers to interpret the captivating and clumsy characters who sailed through the darkest years of life. Ironically, it's probably what he did Everything sucks! in; the show was a reminder of our high school years, it is possible that viewers would not want to relive them. Too bad, because if they had seen the whole series, they knew that they concerned all the things we ignored as children: learning experiences, hope and growth. –Tim Surette

18. Bob's burgers (Fox)

Where to slide: Hulu

Some people may look Bob's burgers'Inclusion on this list and I wonder why it is here. And those people have to lead a life without joy, because if after nine seasons you are not yet looking at Fox's delightful and absurd comedy about the family of owners of the Belcher family, you're missing out. Most shows slow down and fatigue as they age, but Bob's burgers it just seems to have become stronger (if even a bit weirder). If you need proof, look no further than the Halloween episode of this year, "Nightmare on Ocean Avenue Street," which featured Gene (Eugene Mirman) dressed as Andre 3000 the Giant, a giant spider with chainsaw attached to his feet, and another fun Bob's burgers original song. – Kaitlin Thomas

17. Jane the Virgin (The CW)

Where to stream: Netflix

Photo: Michael Desmond / The CW

The CW Jane the Virgin There are many things – complex, moving, incredibly fun – but the only thing that is not boring. The beloved CW series has raised the bar dramatically this year, facing smoothly everything from the uninterrupted journey of Jane (Gina Rodriguez) as a writer and Xo (Andrea Navedo) emotional battle with breast cancer in Alba ( Ivonne Coll) passing the citizenship test and Rafael (Justin Baldoni) emotional insecurities. The series has also pulled out its most surprising breakthrough when it revealed in the last minutes of the season that Jane's husband, Michael (Brett Dier), was not dead at all (we think). And Rafael was willing to give up his future with Jane in order to be happy with him. This, ladies and gentlemen, is exactly the kind of rollercoaster narration that puts performances on these types of lists. IS Jane the Virgin manages to do it year after year after year. – Kaitlin Thomas

16. Dear white people (Netflix)

Where to stream: Netflix

Dear white people intensified his already good game in Vol. 2, as the racial tensions that came to a boil last year continued to overflow. When a white nationalist group came to the fore and Samantha (Logan Browning) continued to confront racism and prejudice in his university show, relationships were strengthened or separated, as in the case of her white boyfriend, Gabe (John Patrick Amedori) , which made an unmissable comparison in a powerful episode. Season 2 also ended in a ghostly mystery, leaving viewers curious about Sam's induction into a creepy secret society led by a long-since invisible narrator, suggesting that all thoughtful commentary and stinging satire Dear white people already presented it was really only the beginning. – Malcolm Venable

15. GLOW (Netflix)

Where to stream: Netflix

GLOW Season 2: Watch the trailer

GLOWThe second year of the doctorate has accumulated doubts about the fact that he could recapture the magic of his exalted debut. After introducing some colorful characters in the first season, the show plunged further into their stories, revealing how these marginalized women have found their place in a hellish system to defeat them. Debbie has struggled with working maternity, Tammé has subverted the intrinsic racism of the people to comfortably send her son to the university, Ruth has begun to find her role as producer and all the women of GLOW faced the consequences of their newfound fame. The second season also produced bigger and better acrobatics, which were the true glory of the emotional core of the show: the depth and complexity of female friendships. – Keisha Hatchett

Maniac it could have the traps of a dystopian sci-fi strike – after all, star Emma Stone and Jonah Hill as two injured youths who join a poorly managed pharmaceutical firm that (literally) messes up their minds – but the show & # setting 39; s grimdark gives way to a surprisingly serious and hopeful story. This series of 10 episodes features a cast of memorable supporting characters that veer close enough to the caricature that could easily have come out of a Wes Anderson movie, not to mention surreal images that recall your favorite Michel Gondry creations. But all are the background to a moving journey (and sometimes ridiculously fun) to an emotional climax that takes all the complexity of the series and reduces it to its simplest and most beautiful part. – Noelene Clark

Sabrina's thrilling adventures it is undeniably one of the best new shows in the fall. A dark, gothic touch Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Shivering adventures he raises the rural melodrama while still portraying a young witch's tug of war between her magical and human side as completely rooted and recognizable. Kiernan Shipka is the hub of an extraordinary cast, and his performance as Sabrina is the sincere and sticky center of an electrifying spectacle with a black heart. Even when he's deceiving you, Shivering adventures it is a guaranteed pleasure to watch. – Krutika Mallikarjuna

12. The Americans (FX)

Where to stream: Amazon, FX +, FX Now

The series that are criticized by critics during their run may seem easy, but they are more under pressure than their peers to finish what they start, not to be remembered as another "The first few seasons were good, the rest, ehhh … " to exhibit. The final season of The Americans made sure that it did not happen, combining so many of the irresistible themes of the first season – the gap between Philip and Elizabeth, the tension between Stan and Jennings, how to deal with a teenager who knows too much – to bring it all complete circle series. The series finale will turn into one of the greatest ever, answering all the questions we have had from the pilot, maintaining simplicity, showing that the entire show has been planned since the beginning. –Tim Surette

The first season of One day at a time has already raised the stakes for the re-launch of modern TV, but when the second season hit Netflix this year, the family comedy rose to a whole new level. With episodes addressing depression, gender non-compliance, racism and death, Norman Lear's reboot provided several intimate insights on pressing issues in modern society, filling these stories with such specific details that every problem faced by the Alvarez family – regardless of how removed from your own life – takes on a universal touch. –Sadie Gennis

10. Making fun of (Show time)

Where to stream: Showtime, Amazon Prime with the Showtime add-on, Hulu with the Showtime add-on

Making fun of It is a series that speaks of an eternally optimistic children's show guest, who is twisted by the hammer of reality when the tragedy hits his family, and is just as adorable and depressing as you think. Is it a comedy? Is it a drama? Is it a total mindf —? They are all those, but above all, it is a deep look at the masks we wear every day while our interiors are crumbling away from any confusion. C & # 39; is a perfect mix between the screenplay of the creator David Holstein, the performance of Jim Carrey and the vision of Michel Gondry Making fun of an awkward, exhilarating and compelling clock. –Tim Surette

9. Counterpart (Starz)

Where to stream: Starz, Amazon Prime with the addition of Starz

The epitome of the best show you're not watching, Counterpart I had the disadvantages of airing in the middle of the holidays and having limited access to eyeballs as Starz's exclusive, but listen to me now: look for this gem. Part of science fiction, part-thriller espionage, Counterpart it follows a war between two parallel universes and poses all the right existential questions about who we might be in the right circumstances. Actor of our generation J.K. Simmons will play two wonderfully written roles (how did we get so lucky?), And he is surrounded by a cast and crew who put together one of the most complete series from breaking Bad. –Tim Surette

8. Kill Eve (BBC America)

Where to stream: Hulu, Amazon Prime (available for purchase)

If you expected the typical cat and mouse game when you're tuned to BBC America Kill Eve – the biggest surprise of 2018 – you were probably a little upset by the twisted tale of obsession between two opponents on opposite sides of the law. The destructive but intoxicating journey of Eve and Villanelle in Season 1 seemed more like a courtship than a crime saga (except for all the pieces of murder, of course) but eventually found a perfect balance between its elements of genre and the narrative deeply based on the characters that we all fell in love with. Although he did not get nearly the result he deserved at the 2018 Emmy Awards, he is still a critical treasure that will not disappoint. –Lindsay MacDonald

Weird eye: What's different about reboot?

It is rare for a show to bring people together in these moments of division, but for Netflix Weird eye he showed that even in 2018 people belonging to opposing sides of the political, racial or religious spectrum can join forces for a good cause – and the unique jokes of Jonathan Van Ness. The new Fab 5 – Van Ness, Karamo Brown, Tan France, Bobby Berk and Antoni Porowski, gathered their individual gifts and were inspired by the spirit of the predecessor of the show, changing their lives while aiming to make worthy people inside that out. We are forever moved by their generous spirit and, thanks to their kind words, we know that we are beautiful and strong. We're a song by Kelly Clarkson, and we're better for it. –Megan Vick

Such as American Vandal managed to turn gold into pure gold, the world may never know. But it is a fact that we will always be grateful because the second and last (!!!) season has taken a perfect parody of documentaries with real crime and has injected an empathic appeal for the kindness in the mix. The realistic vision of a generation that learns to live in the infinite reflectors of social media has touched the hearts of the audience without ever slipping into a lecture on how we all need to get off our phones. It will still take a long time to get back to a story of intelligent training of such an emotional. – Krutika Mallikarjuna

5. YOU (Lifetime)

Before debuting, there were many jokes about how YOU – who plays Penn Badgley as a stalker obsessed with a self-sabotaging graduate student who already has enough problems (Elizabeth Lail) – was the spiritual successor of Gossip Girl but brought to the extreme. YOU it is not Gossip Girl; It is much better. Badgley's performance as Joe Goldberg, the bewildered but charming bookstore owner who will do anything to obey his obsession, is complicated and empathetic, managing to keep viewers connected to Joe's story, regardless of depth to which it sinks. And the perfect balance between authentic thriller and rural humor has transformed the typical Lifetime movie storyline into true art with a gift for creating moments not to be missed that we will not soon forget. –Sadie Gennis

Look at the AMCs Better to call Saul Season 4 TRAILER

Better to call SaulThe fourth season finally pushed AMC's drama on the man who was to become Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk) in breaking Bad territory. When Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito) violently smothered a man who crossed it, you knew that this season would be a turning point for the show. And it was. Jimmy McGill has officially adopted Saul's moniker by the end of the season, breaking our hearts (and probably Kim [Rhea Seehorn]) in the process, and the creation of all the pieces for what is sure to be an electric season 5. – Kaitlin Thomas

3. The good place (NBC)

Where to stream: Netflix

There is a reason The good place won first place in the ranking of the 100 best TV Shows of TV Guide at the beginning of this year. But can a transmission comedy with a high concept remain valid for more than a few seasons? Yup! With the big cat out of the bag at the end of Season 1, Season 2 has apparently reinvented itself every week to stay cool and keep the spectators on guard. And the third season is back on Earth for another reboot that is paying huge dividends (and Janet gave us football to a group of demons in Canada). We do not always know where The good place it's going, but we always know it's going well somewhere. –Lindsay MacDonald

If you see more character-based horror shows in the next two years, The Haunting of Hill House It is precisely the reason why. The series became an almost instant success when it arrived on Netflix, transforming the haunted story of Shirley Jackson into a penetrating family drama that explores isolation and pain. The series played with the perception in ways that have delighted and terrified, and the often devastating twists revealed along the way made us itchy for a repeat before we had finished. –Sadie Gennis

1. Atlanta (FX)

Where to stream: Hulu, FX +, FX Now

Donald Glover is the man of the pop culture year. He was the best part of the disappointing Solo, which was still a huge film even though it was not as big as Disney wanted. Like Childish Gambino, his song "This Is America" ​​and his accompanying Hiro Murai music video will be used in documentaries in 40 years to indicate Trump's era. And those were not even his biggest hits. This would be the second season of Atlanta, alias Atlanta: Robbin & # 39; Season, his series of elegiac FX comedies. Glover entered the American collective unconscious and returned with lynchian images that will remain in your brain forever (say to me: "Owl & # 39; s Casket"). È una cosa rara e speciale quando qualcuno è sia popolare che artisticamente significativo come lo è Donald Glover. Ha detto che avrebbe preso Katt Williams un Emmy, e lo ha fatto. A volte devi solo colpire le persone. –Liam Mathews